14 cops to be questioned following Juhu tragedy

MID-DAY (FEB 2002)

By Skimmy Gupta

At least 14 policemen, mainly from the Santa Cruz, Juhu and DN Nagar police stations, will be interrogated by police department officials as part of an internal probe into patrolling and other police practices at Juhu Beach.

The probe comes following a police crackdown on crime, illegal hawkers and horse-keepers at the beach, following a Mid Day report on February 20.

The report detailed crime and poor safety at the beach, and came following the death of 72-year-old Bhagyarathi Sonawne, who was trampled by a horse at about 8 pm on February 17.

Residents have complained that horses and horse-carts, banned on the beach by a 1998 Supreme Court order, would be chased off the beach by policemen almost every evening, causing a near stampede.

A Santa Cruz police station official said on condition of anonymity, " There are about 14 police personnel who will be interrogated in context of the recent accident. The officers to be questioned include assistant police inspectors, sub-inspectors and constables."

Vilas Tupe, senior inspector at the Santa Cruz Police Station, added, " There could be up to 22 police officials who could bear the brunt and face a strict inquiry. Time and again they were warned to restrict banned horses from the beach, but they didn't do their duty. The recent news shocked them, and I somehow feel things will improve."

A resident at Juhu Beach Society said, " There seemed to be a mutual understanding between the police and horse owners. Every evening, about 40 to 45 horsemen could be seen operating freely from 5 pm to 8 pm. Suddenly, at 8 pm, they were thrown out. The situation has improved now."

Due to the internal nature of the police inquiry, the names of the policemen to be questioned were not released. Bipin Kumar Singh, deputy commissioner for Zone IX, was unavailable for comment.